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Military Veteran News Headlines for July 13th, 2016

Over 70,000 veterans disability claims are still backlogged 7 months after missing the Veterans Affairs goal to reach zero. VA Acting Under Secretary for Benefits, Thomas Murphy, acknowledged the need for change, but stated that some claims are intentionally left open longer to ensure veterans get all of the compensation they deserve. He also said, “this is still a continuous improvement process for us […] we are not satisfied with the number now, and we won’t be satisfied until we are much closer to zero.” Roughly 1 in 5 claims end up taking over the four-month goal to process.
Source: Military Times

New Program Allows Some Civilian Doctors to View Military Health Records –

A new, expanding health records sharing program is allowing doctors in 10 civilian U.S. health systems access to Defense Department records. The Pentagon’s Health Information Exchange Initiative was launched on June 1, which allows private physicians and some government organizations to access medical records for their patients with a military history. The program is anticipated to remove the need of hand-carrying military medical records or labs between doctor visits. The Department of Veterans Affairs does not have access because their system is different than the Pentagon’s.
Source: Military Times

Defense Department to Eliminate CAC Card –

The Defense Department is looking to move away from Common Access Cards and adopt new, technologically advanced authentication. This has been prompted by potential security threats, new tech, and other demands. According to Terry Halvorsen, the DoD Chief Information Officer, the DoD has set a two-year plan to integrate a “true multi-factor” approach which would combine biometrics, behavioral analytics, and passwords. The government rules over technology may need to change– wifi was only recently approved for public use in the Pentagon, and many areas prohibit electronic devices.
Source: Corrin, Amber. “Is Your Heartbeat your New CAC?” Military Times 18 Jul. 2016: 20. Print.